Born in Ogden, Utah, Stephen Richardson arrived in Seattle in 1928 and attended the University of Washington before earning the MArch at MIT. He and A. M. Young formed Young & Richardson (1941-50), succeeded by Young, Richardson, Carleton & Detlie (whose notable work includes the Seattle Park Board Building) 1950-56, and The Richardson Associates (1967-77), later known as TRA.

He joined the AIA in 1943 and received recognition as a Fellow in 1967.

Mr. Richardson served on the Seattle Planning Commission, and directed the work of its advisory board, producing the publication Designing a Great City: Report of the Urban Design Advisory Board to the Seattle Planning Commission, 1965.